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Friday, July 10, 2015

Dorm Room Oatmeal

This fall we will have a college freshman in the house or should I say out of the house. As anyone headed to college knows this throws up a whole lot of challenges. Downsizing and sharing everything with a room mate, living on your own, time management and in our case leaving the beloved pets behind. The last thing you want to worry about is food.

If you have heard of the phrase 'freshman 15' then you know food is something you have to worry about. Freshman 15 refers to the weight an average freshman puts on during the freshman year. Whether it is the freedom to eat what you want, when you want or the quality of food this is a statistics that makes most freshman cringe. With this recipe I am starting a new section in this space 'Dorm room recipes'.

Most dorms allow the students a mini refrigerator and a microwave. Some may allow an electric hot plate but most do not. Most students live in a dorm the first couple years before moving to apartments. These first couple years are the time when they have to cope with so many changes that cooking anything elaborate may not be an option. Today I have a simple breakfast oatmeal recipe.

You may choose to use fresh berries if you happen to have gone shopping. If not skip the berries. Except for the milk all the other ingredients can be stored for an extended period of time. I used rolled oats but you could use steel cut oats. You will have to cook them longer.

In a microwave safe cup mix all the ingredients except the cinnamon powder. Cook for a minute in the microwave. Stir and cook for half a minute. Repeat stirring and cooking for half a minute until the milk comes to a boil and the oatmeal is tender. For rolled oats it should take a total of 1:30 minutes. For steel cut oats it should take about 3 minutes.

Allow the oatmeal to cool a little and then mix in the cinnamon powder. Add fresh berries if desired.